Page 16 of Darrin: The Wolves

After promising to see her Friday afternoon when she was finished with work, he headed home to help close the tavern.

He hated leaving her. But he couldn’t just keep abandoning his brothers when there were so few workers there.

“How’d dinner go?” Trick asked as he wiped down the bar.

“Great. How was it here?”

“Dinner rush was a little wild, but we got through it.”

“I’ll be behind the bar tomorrow night, don’t worry.”

“You cut me slack when I was getting to know Cassidy, so I’m happy to do the same for you.”

Dare was turning a chair over and setting it on the table when the front door opened.

He turned to say they were closed, when he froze.

He blinked, certain he was seeing things.

But no.

A female strode into the tavern like she had every right to be there despite the fact it was after closing. Tall and slender, with pale blonde hair pulled up in a high ponytail, she wore tight pants and a fitted top that looked like a deep inhale would bust the seams.

She was pretty in a cold way, all sharp angles and smirks, just like she’d been years earlier when she’d been standing with his old alpha.

Nadia.

His wolf went from thinking sweet thoughts about cuddling Audrey to positively furious to see the blast from the unhappy past walk through the door.

Her gaze swept the room, then settled on him.

“Darrin.”

“Nadia. Why are you here?”

Trick joined him, a steady presence at his side, always the protector.

She glanced at him then back at Dare. “I heard rumors that you made something of yourselves here, so I wanted to see for myself.”

He crossed his arms. What the hell was she doing there?

“You’ve seen it, so you can leave.”

She moved forward, closing the distance. He caught the scent of heavy perfume and the old pack, and his wolf rioted. He put up his hand to keep her from getting too close and she stopped with a smirk. “So rude. Thomas said that exile would make you arrogant. I see he was right.”

“I don’t live under Thomas’s rules anymore. And I don’t care what he or anyone in the pack has to say about me or my pack.”

“He might have been wrong about some things, but he was right about us.”

“Hell no he wasn’t. And there never was anus. There was an alpha on a power trip and an arranged mating that I never agreed to. I don’t know what you’re doing here, but whatever you’re looking for, you’re not going to find it.”

“You bailed,” she said, lifting her chin. “You embarrassed me.”

“I saved us both from being tied together for life in a mating that wasn’t right.”

Years earlier, Nadia had stood with Thomas while he declared that Dare would take her for a mate or face exile. Dare had been high ranked, and Nadia had wanted the power the mating would bring. He wasn’t sure she even liked him, and he sure as hell had never given her a second look.

He refused and walked away with his brothers.